1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a training device to be used by a golfer to help the golfer develop proper arm motion and placement during putting and chipping. More particularly, the invention relates to a device which trains the golfer to hold the arms in proper relationship to each other and to the player's chest.
2. Description of the Related Art
While in its simplest form, golf is a game of hitting a golf ball into a hole with a club, the use of several different clubs is necessary to master the game as the player stokes the ball from different distances and under different circumstances. Golf requires that the player be able to take full swings with the golf clubs as well as pitch, chip and put and it is extremely important for mastery of the game to make these strokes in a consistent and precise manner. During the full swing and partial swing of pitching the relationship of the arms to each other and to the body changes throughout the stroke. However chipping and putting share that the arms and shoulders need to move together with the shoulders as a unit as the ball is hit.
A check of the patents issued in the golf training area reveals that there are literally hundreds of devices, machines and apparatus designed to improve the swing for driving and pitching. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 6,863,616 to Snyder et al and U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,663. Some of these devices are relatively small and simple mechanically while others are large machines designed to control the whole body movement.
Much less work has been done on the putting and chipping stroke. This is despite the fact that since both putting and chipping are done close to the hole, they require much more precise movements to achieve the accuracy necessary for a successful game and training of the golfer for these activities would have a much greater positive impact on the golfers total score. Inventions known in the putting and chipping area fall into 3 basic categories. The first category is putting and chipping targets. Target inventions are devices designed to put and chip the ball towards for practice in distance and range accuracy. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,335 there is described a target base for practicing pitching and chipping skills.
A second category are devices for training the golfer to move the club in a straight line. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,844 there is claimed a housing with an actuating device communicating with a stoke arm rigidly securing a golf club arm. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,608 there is a U-shaped base with a parallel with battery operated laser. Lastly, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,920 there is described a putting guide that is placed on the ground between the golfer and the golf ball.
A last category are those devices which train the positioning of the arms relative to one another during putting and chipping. Even here a number of approaches have been used. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,179 to Breed discloses a training device which includes a laterally adjustable spacing member, a pair of pivotally adjustable forearm bracing members attached on opposing ends with an adjustable strap on one of the bracing members for securing the device to the users forearm. The device positions the forearms in spaced relationship to each other but not in relationship to the body. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,354 to Vasquez there is described a golf training device wherein an elongated support member having a cap on its upper end is held against the grip of a golf club with the cap engaging the upper end of the grip. A single adjustable link extends from the cap at a right angle to the elongated support and terminates at an arm pad which positions the golfer's lower leading arm. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,238 to Nicholson, there is described a device which includes a flexible strap having a shoulder portion, a first arm portion and an attachment device for attaching the first arm portion to a golfers arm and a second arm portion and finger strap for attaching the second arm portion to a golfer's hand in order to maintain the golfers wrist in a flexed position during the putting stoke. The device attempts to keep a fixed relationship between the users' arms and shoulders but not between the arms and the body.
As can be seen each device attempts to work on different relationship issues of the golfer goes through the putting motion. Some share the difficulty of having to attaché the device directly to the club and they all seem to have forgotten the important relationship between the position of the arms relative to the chest. They all require tedious adjustment and in some cases construction to use. While that is helpful with the bigger devices it is certainly an impediment to regular use of a training device. It also leaves it up to the user to pick the proper adjustment to get the proper swing thus defeating the purpose of the device, that is, to have the device show the user what the position should be.
The overall limiting of body motion should be limited by the design of the device and not how the user puts it together. Further since travel is a part of the sport of golf it is an important aspect of a training device that it be easy to transport with little or no assembly required.